Forwarded to ADL-LA:
December 11, 2007  

The below is a compilation of posts directly from some of our readers, or posts that have been forwarded to ADL-LA.
Each new post is separated lines

Here are numbers for ALL animals who died on their own in the shelter from illness and injury for the last three years. This is cats, dogs, bunnies, and others.

2004/05 1251
2005/06 1462
2006/07 3312

ALMOST THREE TIMES AS MANY ANIMALS HAVE DIED FROM NEGLECT AND CRUELTY CAUSED FROM LACK OF CARE!!! No wonder euthanasia in '07 is down - when they just let animals die "on their own."

Here are bunnies that were euthanized

04/05 132
05/06 395
06/07 482

Almost four times as many bunnies were euthanized since Boks got here!

Here are "others" that died from lack of care in the shelter:

04/05 460
05/06 704
06/07 1984 !!!

Intake is down yet animals dying is up! This is percent of "others" dying:

04/05 5% died
05/06 8% died
06/07 25% died!!!

Heaven forbid you lose your bird or other pet! She has a 25% chance of dying in the shelter before you can find her. Some of these animals dying are lost pets.

Mayor Bloomberg fired Boks when he did this in New York City; yet, Villaraigosa thinks that allowing animals to die of illness and injury in the shelter is fine. The City is committing animal cruelty, and it's a criminal act.

The study found that animal deaths for reasons other than euthanasia
rose from 1,462 to 3,312 in the year ending in October, a 127 percent
increase.

full story: http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_7661792?nclick_check=1

Zephyr's death and what he suffered beforehand is symbolic of what countless animals are enduring in
the county and city shelters. Just this past Monday, a dog who was being networked in the animal
community and was supposed to have had at least until Thursday for a chance to berescued/adopted
was killed because an employee failed to put a memo under the animal's I.D. that would have afforded the
dog a chance to maybe find a home. Oops! Think this was the first time?? Think again.

Each and every one of you would no doubt want to hold someone accountable for"forgetting" to put out a memo that you are due to get raises. At least you can get paid retroactively. You can't give a life back retroactively. What are you doing to hold accountable those paid individuals who "forget"to follow Departmental protocol and allow young, healthy, adoptable animals to die needlessly or togo unchecked for medical conditions? And what about those individuals who do have concerns and/orhave an opinion to voice and are often transferred or fired. Management (or lack thereof)of these government entities needs to be investigated now. The newlybuilt million-dollar-plus shelters are only facades. Without proper staffing, the animals willcontinue to suffer. This must end!

In the past, I have always tried to help the shelters and do what I could for all of the animals. It is because of the volunteer's time, energy, and their own money, that many of the animals have been adopted and the public has become better educated about the shelter animals and their need for adoption. Because Dina needed someone to deliver the rabbit adoption packets to East Valley, I offered my time,energy, and committment to helping so as to ensure that this event was a success. At approximately11:10 a.m., I arrived at the East Valley shelter with the adoption packets, 3 gift baskets, that I personally made with my own money, for the raffle, and other items. From 11:15 a.m. to 12:20.m. I did not bother anyone or in any way interfer with this event. I was there only as a private citizen at a publictax-supported facility

At 12:20 p.m. Officer Hooks requested that I speak to her. I complied with this request and she informed me that as "conditions of my termination as a volunteer I was not allowed on theproperty." She also informed me that this information was contained in a memo dated 2006. I asked her to inform me who it was that pointed me out to her as I had never, to my knowledge, had any interaction withher before. She refused to give me the individual's name who informed her of who I was.

With that being said, I requested that she repeat this same information to me in front of volunteer Dina. Afterthis was done, I left the property. On my way out, I spoke to ACT Ruben, from North Central, who informedme that someone from the department had asked him whether or not I had been "invited" to the event. He told this individial that I was there as the "public."

To say that this 5th time of being denied to a public tax-supporting shelter/event is without saying shameful!!! I in no way interfered with the event nor did I bother any at the event. It is because of ME SACRIFICING MY TIME, ENERGY, AND MONEY, that the rabbit adoption packets were delivered, raffle baskets were made, to promote good will, and an "extra pairof hands" to help were available. Additionally, it is because of a fired rabbit volunteer, that the packets were assembled together. This individual also sacrificed their time, energy, and money (a rabbit toy was included in the packet) to ensure that the public was informed about the proper care of rabbits, thus ensuring that a potential rabbit adopter had all the necessary information available to them so that the rabbit would be well-cared for thus ensuring that the rabbit would not end up in the shelter system again.
Needless to say I am outragged, disgusted, horrified, and emotional upset to have had experienced this type of an incident again for the 5th time. Officer Hooks referred to a 2006 memo while speaking to me. The only memo re my denial of shelter access is the one the shelter manager Gerald Hill referred to in September 2005. It appears that if Officer Hooks date is correct then ANOTHER MEMO WAS ISSUED BY EITHER MR. BOKS OR SOMEONE ELSE IN THE DEPARTMENT.
Irregardless of when it was issued or by whom, the bottom line is that my denial of shelter access is illegal. I have the right as a private citizen AND as a tax-payer to enter a public facilty without being harrassed,questioned, or informed that I cannot be there for whatever reason. I am informing you of this incident because all of you need to be aware of how mine and other volunteer's rights as a private citizen arebeing violated repeatedly despite the fact that it has been reported time and time again to the DAS comissioners, the Mayor, and the city councilpersons.
As I sit here now informing you of this incident, I am emotionally upset and have cried. I was subjected to this event in front of the public. volunteers, and DAS staff. I only came to the event to deliver the necessary items, so that it would be a success, and my services were rewarded by being requested to leavethe property and degraded in front of those who witnessed this incident. I am therefore requesting a copy of the memo that Officer Hooks referred to, and additionally, am requesting that those individualswho were involved in this incident be reprimanded, disciplined, and or fired. It was bad enough that I had to be subjected to this 4 times in the past, but for it to happen again and at a public event infront of everyone is disgracful to say the least. I am requesting that this matter be addressed immediately and that it be thoroughly investigated. I am thanking you for time and consideration to this and you may contact me by e-mail.

Respectfully,

Boks did STAR in NY. It's another name only program. He uses it to solicit donations but then doesn't spend the money on the animals. I'm being bombarded by emails from city employees offering free animals that need major surgery. They say we must take them or they will be euthanized because of their injuries. Why don't they spend the STAR money on them, or at least offer to spend that money if rescue agrees to take the animal?
Why indeed?
How can Boks be so thick? He announces euthanasia and save numbers based on voodo math and announces programs that don't exist or gives an unqualified "friend" (Pia Salk) $20,000 for a zippo project which has not yet generated a report. Yet he thinks he will not be discovered as the fraud he is. I guess he thinks everyone is stupid.
Less surprising is Villaraigosa's complicity--unless Kramer and Blackman are hiding this from him.
Why hasn't the LAPD checked the veracity of claims made on the ACTF page? Bratton and Parks ought to be told.
All this and more can be found on my blog:
www.laanimalwatch.blogspot.com

If you really want the truth check this out:

Ed Boks et al most likely created an audition tape for Animal Precinct by raiding the home of Ron Mason, destroying his life and killing at least 25 cats.

A commenter sent the below email to the Viewer Relation staff of Discovery Channel, which hosts Animal Precinct:

Re Animal Precinct

Ed Boks of LA Animal Services is telling people that they may do five episodes on Animal Precinct. In order to create his "audition tape," they raided a man with many cats. They said his cats had panleukemia when they did not. They said the health department said he violated health codes when they did not. They videotaped the bust just to get on your show. They've since not even charged him though they made him pay $20,000 bail and they killed all of his cats. Only a few had colds. Please, do not allow LA City to be on your show. They destroyed a man and killed all his cats just to make a video for you.

Ed Boks of LA Animal Services wants to do a series on Animal Precinct. Part of it, or so it appears, was to produce a video for you via LA City TV.

Ron Mason's home was raided by Boks' Animal Services and 30 people from other City/County agencies. They published all sorts of libelous facts about him, such as he had a mental illness, and that he lived in filth and that Health charges were forthcoming. Well, County Health did not charge him.The inspector who came later, said he had seen places 1,000 times worse.

When Mason appeared in court for his arraignment, the City Attorney failed to show so he was not even brought up on charges. Calling the City Attorney's Office, one finds that Mason's name does not even appear on their database.

Boks is now trying to make this case go away, as they have been caught in so many procedural mistakes.

They told the press and on the Animal Services website that Mason's cats had panleukenia. It turns out Boks admitted that lab testing was negative. They killed at least half of the impounded cats saying they were irremediably suffering, when in fact, one they killed had a limp due to an orthopedic operation 3 years ago. Another, Johny was likley killed because he was old. Animal Services and the City Attorney's Office will release no information even under a request for public records on anything regarding the cats, saying they are evidence animals, yet they killed 25 or more evidence animals, hence, no evidence.

Mason Busted to Promote Boks' Pet Precinct TV Series?

In his September/October report to the Animal Services Commission, Ed Boks states:

"The Department has recently had conversations with the producers of the Animal Planet show “Animal Precinct” about putting together a five-show pilot that would feature the Department’s animal care centers and staff. Currently, the Department has been working with series creator Morgan Spurlock and the producers of the FX Networks show “30 Days” to film an episode at one of the Department’s animal care centers."

Isn’t it convenient that Boks releases information that he is in touch with Animal Precinct for a five episode series five weeks after Mason was busted? Do you think the TV footage shot by City TV was sent to the producers of Animal Precinct? I think so.

Once again, Boks was willing to waste a man’s life and kill dozens and maybe scores of cats for good PR. What a scumbag and what a legal and PR disaster for the City and the City Attorney's Office.

They are patting themselves on the back for not having destroyed as many unweaned kittens (and I'm assuming, puppies) this year as in the past.

The FACT of the matter is that many of the bottle babies that come into the shelters never go through the intake process. Hence, they have no numbers and no record of ever having been there. Boxes of babies are routinely walked directly back to "the room" to be killed and disposed of.

This is not a myth or a rumor. Many rescuers have seen this happen. LAAS might claim there is no way we could possibly know what happens to the kittens once they are removed from sight. True enough. Except that we do see the kittens, we know what they look like, and we know that they never show up with numbers on the shelter pages.

City sources have said that there have been so many complaints about Boks he soon will be fired.